13 Upper-Body Stretches to Do After Your Next Strength Training Session

In case your workout included quite a lot of pulling work—like pull-ups or chin-ups, rows, or curls—you’d wish to stretch out your lats, the big muscles in your back, in addition to your lower traps with upper-back stretches. Because your biceps (the muscles on the front of your upper arms) assist in pulling exercises, chances are you’ll also wish to stretch them.

You might also just wish to do moves that focus on a very tight area, or ones that simply feel amazing to your body. For instance, neck stretches are great after most upper-body workouts, as are mobility stretches that loosen up your wrists—especially in the event you’ve been working with dumbbells or doing exercises like push-ups where you’re in a high-plank position.

How long must you stretch for?

Stretching after your session—whether we’re talking a few full-body routine, one crammed with upper-body strength exercises, or perhaps a quick arms workout—doesn’t need to be complicated, and it doesn’t have to take a complete lot of time, either.

In the event you’re just getting began, begin by holding each stretch for about 30 seconds, working as much as a minute as your body gets used to the moves. Your entire stretching routine post-workout doesn’t should be long, either. Shoot for roughly the identical duration as your warm-up, or 5 to 10 minutes.

As you stretch it out, keep a few of these key things in mind: “Slowly move into the stretch, then hold; don’t bounce, as it could possibly sometimes result in injury; and don’t stretch into pain—only stretch until you are feeling tension,” Giordano says. “In the event you feel pain, stop and make contact with your doctor or physical therapist,” he says.

Below, we’ve rounded up a few of the most effective stretches to do after an upper-body routine. From chest stretches to triceps stretches to upper-back moves that loosen up your traps, you’ll you’ll want to find some recent ones to fit into your cooldown.